616 



nish points of support. Scarcely had we attain- 

 ed the summit of the mountain, when we be- 

 held with astonishment the singular aspect of 

 the surrounding' country. The foamy bed of the 

 waters is filled with an Archipelago of islands 

 covered with palm-trees. Toward the wesfy on 

 the left bank of the Oroonoko, stretch the sa- 

 vannahs of the Meta and the Casanare. They 

 resembled a sea of verdure., the misty horizon 

 of which was illumined by the rays of the set- 

 ting sun. It's orb, resembling a globe of fire, 

 suspended over the plain; and the solitary 

 Peak of Uniana, which appeared more lofty 

 from being wrapped in vapours that softened 

 it's outline ; all contributed to augment the 

 majesty of the scene. Near us the eye looked 

 down into a deep valley, enclosed on every side. 

 Birds of prey and goatsuckers winged their 

 lonely flight in this inaccessible circus. We 

 found a pleasure in following with the eye their 

 fleeting shadows, as they glided slowly over the 

 flanks of the rock. 



A narrow ridge led us to a neighbour- 

 ing mountain, the rounded summit of which 

 supported immense blocks of granite. These 

 masses are more than forty or fifty feet in 

 diameter ; and their form is so perfectly spheri- 

 cal, that, appearing to touch the soil only by a 

 small number of points, it might be supposed^ 

 &t the least shock of an earthquake they 



